


Stepdad

by dorkpatroller



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And Of Course - Freeform, Gen, M/M, maybe not so well, nina is coping with big news, stepdad au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 13:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15842544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkpatroller/pseuds/dorkpatroller
Summary: The news that her father is getting remarried comes as something of a shock. Nina decides she can't let this happen, but she's just not convinced she's making the right choice.





	Stepdad

**Author's Note:**

> do you ever just need to self indulge in your otp
> 
> https://youtu.be/VmtVg8jZymE Go listen to this

Fall is just an aesthetically pleasing time of year. Nina has always loved it. But being in a _bookstore_ on a cool, fall day is even better. Even if there’s temperature control in the building she _knows_ it’s fall outside and it makes her feel twice as creative. If she were by herself she might pick up one of the books and find a chair somewhere to people watch. She might actually read some of the book too, but watching the men and women (but especially the men) walking around is just as exciting.

 

She’s not alone though. She’s not sure why, but Odin asked her to go out on this mini ‘date’ with him. He takes her to a romantic comedy that’s _also_ a musical and she thought it looked stupid… but it had her in fits of giggles.

 

Odin has been dating Niles for about a year. It’s been really cool! He gets along really well with Nina, and his daughter, Ophelia, is only a year younger than her. They get along really well, too. Odin writes some self-published books on the side, but he teaches first grade or preschool or something. Little kids. One of his books might be getting picked up to make into a movie-- _that would be awesome_. He’d be like… famous right? Or at least his writing might get more attention.

 

He’s also _way_ out of Nina's dad's league. She's pretty sure Niles knows it, too. He's only a couple years younger but he's got this baby face situation… he looks like he's in his twenties, not like he's got a teenage daughter. Plus he works out. Like he must, because he's ripped. Well, maybe not ripped, but certainly ripping. He's cute and funny, and nice… He's out of Niles's league, but he's perfect. Nina wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be her dad's first real love interest after her mom died.

 

“You know,” she says while she drags her fingers past a wooden shelf. “I could have _never_ gone to see that movie with Dad. I’m glad you took me.”

 

Odin knits his brows together. Oh, yeah. One of the other cute things about Odin (on a list a mile long, really) is that he acts like a literal puppy sometimes. She’s sure that she could make an entire photoset of him side by side with a dog and no one would know the difference. But he clears his throat. “Why not? Niles likes movies too.”

 

“Well, duh. Everyone likes movies. But he’s my _dad_. It’s embarrassing! You can’t go see a chick-flick with your dad. I mean with you it’s like I’m going with my cool uncle or something.”

 

Usually, Odin loves being called cool, but there's a weird look in his eye when she says that. Nina ignores it. Odin does too, apparently, because he reaches out and touches her wrist. "This is new? It looks like the work of Ophelia Dusk."

 

Nina looks at her wrist. There's a bracelet there and, yeah, Ophelia did make it. It's beaded on an elastic string. Nina smiles. "She made us matching friendship bracelets. It's kind of childish or whatever, but I didn't want to say no and hurt her feelings." She turns her wrist over to admire the bracelet again. "I mean, the beads are pretty cute."

 

“Take it as a compliment! Ophelia has only ever made one other friendship bracelet in her life, and that’s for her cousin, Soleil. She takes them very seriously.”

 

They’ve made their way to the section of the store that sells journals. They’re mostly just regular lined notebooks with cute covers. Some of them are leatherbound and others have inspirational quotes on them. There's also a section of self-help journals and art books. Nina has one in her hand with a cutesie cover. It's got a heart-shaped slot that a photo can be inserted into, but no words. Just pretty flowers. On the inside, the pages have dots in a grid-like pattern.

 

Odin leans over her shoulder to look at it. “Do you like it?” He asks her.

 

Nina flips through the pages one last time with her thumb. It’s a really cute journal, but… “I don’t really know what I’d do with it. This is for people who do bullet journaling I think, and that’s all self-help and daily trackers and things I would forget to do.” She shrugs. “It’s just a pretty one, I guess.”

 

Odin’s lips turn into a flat line and Nina tries not to make fun of him. He’s clearly thinking hard about this journal. She’s not sure why. “We should get it,” he finally says.

 

“No, I can’t afford it right now and what am I going to do with a bullet journal?”

 

“But you want it, don’t you?”

 

“Well, yeah,” Nina says. She looks at the cover again. It’s cute! She really likes it. “But, I mean… I don’t know what to put in it.”

 

“That doesn’t matter! If you like it so much you should have it. When a blank journal speaks to you, it’s important to always listen. What goes inside will come to you in time.” He takes it right out of her hands and flips it over to check the price. It’s like twenty bucks, but she doesn’t want him to buy it. She knows he’s going to now, though. Odin is a ton of fun but once he gets something in his head there’s really no stopping him. “I’ll buy it for you as a gift.”

 

She knew he was going to say that. Nina tucks her hands in her jacket pocket and lets him buy her the journal. She’s not that upset. Maybe he’s right? He’s published books, after all. He’s got to have some intel on how to find inspiration.

 

Outside it’s chilly November air and it’s enough to make her jog. “Odin!” She gasps, “Too cold!” It’s dark out, now. The sun left them and it took all of its warmth with it. Well, save the way Odin smiles at her. That feels like a sunbeam. He opens his arm, and his coat, and wraps it snugly around her side.

 

Pressed up against Odin’s side like that, no one could be cold. He’s toasty and warm and his jacket is an extra layer of defense from the cold. “Make haste!” They huddle-jog to his car and Nina tries not to snort.

 

Once they're settled in Odin's car, Nina buckles up her seatbelt. She has her new journal in a plastic bag in her lap and sighs softly. "Thanks for taking me out today, Odin. I mean, I thought it was kind of weird for you to take me and for Dad to take Ophelia, but it was fun."

 

“You’re welcome! I’ll happily take you to movies any time, Nina. Even the embarrassing ones. But I’m glad you brought up your father. You see, there’s a reason why we swapped children for the night.”

 

Nina can see Odin is smiling but for some reason, her mood drops out from under her. She sets her hands in her lap, a little nervously. "Yeah?"

 

“Yes. You see, your father and I have decided to get married, and so—“

 

“ _What_?” Nina shrieks. She doesn’t mean to come off quite so strong but she can see Odin flinch when she does. He clears his throat.

 

"Well, we all get along so well, Nina, it seems natural for us to be a family. Don't you think?" In his defense, he shouldn't have phrased it as a question. He should have made it a statement, something to ground Nina so she could accept this as fate and not as something she could, or should, prevent.

 

"No! If—you can't _marry_ dad. He’s already married—Odin I _have_ a mom, you know.” Nina reaches up and squeezes the seatbelt a little. The car isn’t even moving but she’s already feeling like she wants to get out.

 

“Of course you have a mother,  I…” Odin clears his throat. Nina waits, but he doesn’t really say anything else on the subject of her mom.

 

She died when Nina was 13. She needed her most then when she was trying to figure out how to be a teenager and what to do with her acne and crushes and new body parts. She's 17 now, a master at puberty, but she's still missing her mom.

 

It shouldn’t matter. She’s known Odin for a year. She’s seen the way Niles looks at him. They’re happy together. Niles’s eyes will soften and his lips will curl into a sweet smile just because he got a text message from Odin. It’s the cutest, dumbest thing ever.

 

But that was before they were getting _married_. How can he? Niles already took vows to love her mother forever, doesn’t that matter? Sure, they say ‘till death do we part’ but that doesn’t mean anything. Niles isn’t dead. Doesn’t he still need to love her?

 

Maybe not. She’s just… this is all so confusing, and it feels out of the blue. Everything was just getting normal. Odin and Ophelia are some of her favorite people in this whole world, but she’s afraid of this change.

 

Will they have to take the photos of her mother off the walls? Will they pack away the last of her things from the bedroom? She’s startled out of her thoughts by the way the car pushes into gear. Odin begins the drive back to her house, and she can hear him sigh very softly—even if he tried to hide it.

 

"We can talk about this more, later. I know it's a big change, but we can figure this out together. As a family! For now, we should get you home—you have school tomorrow."

 

“Yeah,” Nina says. But she’s thinking no. If they’re gonna talk about this later she’s going to make sure they _never_ talk about it. She doesn’t want Niles to get married. Period. End of story. It’s not fair to her mom, it’s not fair to her, it’s not fair to Niles. Odin is just going to have to understand that.

 

The ride home is silent. It’s grossly silent. But Odin doesn’t look like he wants to talk. Nina doesn’t want to talk anyway, and if he’s not going to make her then she won’t. She’s out of the car before he even comes to a complete stop and she doesn’t _mean to_ but she slams the door pretty hard. Odin gets out of the car too, but Ophelia and Niles meet them at the door.

 

“Nina! Did you hear the news?” Ophelia asks. Nina looks at her… and then she shakes her head no. She doesn’t want to talk about it!

 

“Nina?” Niles asks her. She glances at her father, but she feels betrayed. How could he do this to her? He’s got concern written all over his face. His eyes, his lips, even the way he tilts his head to the side… he’s worried about her. And he should be! He’s trying to _marry_ Odin! That’s… way beyond the scope of things they’ve talked about before.

 

Her eyes well up with angry tears and she huffs and runs past him to her room. When she gets there she pushes her door shut and clicks the lock. This isn’t very fair. Everything was perfect. Why did they have to mess it up?

 

The journal is still in her hand. Or the plastic bag anyway. Nina doesn’t want to mess with it right now--she’ll just feel guilty she ever made him buy it. She stomps across her room to her desk and drops it into one of the drawers to deal with later. If later even comes.

 

…

 

Odin sends Nina a text message the next day.  


 

Okay! Fine. He sends her a few. But she doesn’t want Odin to pick her up. She doesn’t wait for him with Ophelia and she doesn’t get a ride home. She just slips off campus on her own and ducks down a back road to walk back home.

 

She shouldn’t be ignoring Odin but she’s not ready to talk about this. She shouldn’t be dodging Ophelia but she seemed so _excited_ about it. How can she be? This is basically the end of the world as they know it.

 

Her phone rings and for a moment she panics. What if it’s Odin? Should she ignore it? Should she hit the decline button? But it’s not Odin. It’s her dad. She breathes out a sigh and answers it. “Hey, what’s up?”

 

 _“Nina, where are you? Odin just called and said you’re ignoring his texts and he can’t find you.”_ Niles doesn’t sound as worried as he sounds frustrated.

 

Nina clears her throat. “Uh, well, I just felt like walking home today. I didn’t know Odin was--My phone was on vibrate, maybe I just didn’t _see_ the text. Did you ever think of that?”

 

 _“If the phone was on vibrate how did you hear the call?”_ Niles asks. _"Look it doesn't matter. That you're not dead in a ditch somewhere is all I needed to know. Odin and Ophelia are staying for dinner tonight. Do you want a pizza? Or we could get take out from that Chinese restaurant you like."_

 

"Uh," Nina stumbles. Is Odin staying for dinner? Normally that's great and all, but she's avoiding him on purpose. Her stomach rumbles. She's hungry. Pizza sounds good, too, but... "Actually, I have a stomach ache. I feel pretty bad. I'm going to go to bed, I think. I'll pass."

 

_“Right… okay. I’ll see you tonight, then. Love you.”_

 

“Gross.”

 

_"Well, you must not be feeling too sick if you can't tell your own father how much you love him."_

 

“Bleck! _Bye_ , Dad."

 

…

 

A week comes and goes and, thank goodness, after a few more ignored texts and dodged encounters Odin seems to finally get the picture. Nina isn’t interested in having a follow-up conversation with him.

 

Niles hasn't said anything to her about it yet, so Odin probably hasn't talked to him about it. If he had then Niles would have tried to change her mind, right? It's just Monday and Nina is sitting in the cafeteria. She shares a lunch period with Ophelia, but she hasn't talked to her in a few days either. Maybe that's why she's a little alarmed when Ophelia shows up out of seemingly nowhere.

 

"I need to talk to you," she says. She glances at Nina's friends. Forrest sits at the table with her. He's more like her brother than her friend. There's a transfer student named Shiro who hangs out with them too, but they're the only ones today. Ophelia clears her throat. "Privately."

 

No. If Nina leaves this table Ophelia will corner her about Odin. She’s happier to argue here, where she’s got her friends with her. “I’m eating, Ophie. What do you want?”

 

Ophelia suddenly doesn’t look so good. Nina hasn’t ever seen her angry before, she realizes. But Ophelia is angry now. She’s red in the face and she looks torn between screaming and crying. When she raises her voice it’s still fairly gentle, but not half a soft as normal. “How can you _do this_?”

 

“Do… what?” Nina has to feign ignorance. It’s the only way this will work, because if she admits to her crimes then she has to apologize for them. Right?

 

“There are only three things in this world that we honestly don’t deserve,” She holds up her fingers to count them as she speaks. “Cats wearing sweaters, baby animals, and _my father_. How can you be so cruel to him?”

 

“I haven’t done anything to him, Ophelia.” Nina looks at her fingernails. Her cuticles are pretty interesting right now. But then Ophelia damn near _growls_ and she’s so startled by it she has to look up again.

 

“You won’t even look at him! It’s heartless! He _loves you_ , Nina! Just as much as he loves me--he loves you like family. Why are you doing this? Because you don’t want our parents to get married? News flash: they’re going to get married whether you like it or not! They’re adults!”

 

“Well if they’re going to do it without my opinion anyway, I don’t see why I should have to talk to Odin about it.”

 

Ophelia _screeches._ Nina actually thinks for a minute she's about to lurch forward, jump the table, and attack her. Instead, she slams something down onto it with a clatter. Soleil comes rushing forward. She's just Ophelia's cousin. They're always together, they're in the same grade. The one just below Nina. She squeezes Ophelia's shoulders. "Woah, c'mon. It's not worth getting in trouble over," she says. Probably because there are a few people watching the confrontation, now.

 

Ophelia’s shoulders sag. Nina’s heart breaks a little. She really likes Ophelia. It sucks that she’s got to lose a friend in the crossfire of this. “Ophelia--”

 

“Don’t talk to me. I don’t want to--Ugh! To think I wanted to call you my sister.”

 

She’s gone in the blink of an eye. She runs off and Soleil chases after her. Nina puts her face in her hands, and Forrest reaches out and picks up what Ophelia left behind. “A… bracelet?” He asks.

 

Nina peeks at between her fingers. It’s the friendship bracelet. The one that matches the one Nina’s got on her wrist. She could cry, really. It’s not that she wants Odin to suffer or something. She doesn’t. She just doesn’t know how to say what she wants to say… and so she would rather just avoid saying anything at all. Or seeing him look at her like he’s disappointed in her.

 

Nina takes the bracelet from Forrest but doesn’t say anything else about it.

 

…

 

It’s just the two of them for dinner. Niles is sitting across from her at their little, round table. He’s quieter than usual but not worrisomely so. He’s just looking at his phone and eating his casserole.

 

"How was school today, kiddo," Niles asks. Well, he says it more than he asks it. It's like he's a zombie or something. Nina frowns.

 

“It was… the same as always,” she lies. It was awful. Ophelia blew up at her and then people kept asking her about it all day. Forrest wouldn’t stop asking her if Niles was getting married--clearly he hasn’t told Leo yet.

 

There’s more silence. Niles keeps looking at his phone. Nina keeps trying not to notice the tension in the air. Then he breaks the silence and the tension by saying something a little unexpected. “Odin called off the engagement.”

 

“He… did?” Nina asks. She bites her lower lip. That’s great! It’s great news. It’s exactly what she wanted to hear. But there’s something about the way Niles says it that makes her stomach feel heavy. She’s not so hungry anymore. “Uhm.. is—did he say why?”

 

Niles looks at her. Right in her eyes and she knows exactly why Odin called it off. It’s her fault. But it’s for the better, right? They were kind of rushing into that marriage. They’d only been dating each other for a year! That’s not really long at all, in the grand scheme of things. Nina looks down at her plate and pushes it away from herself.

 

“Are… are you okay?” Nina asks.

 

"Well, I've been better," Niles answers. He's not being snarky or playful. He just sounds a little empty. It's terrible. "No one really likes to have their ring given back, after all."

 

“He… gave you the ring back?” Nina bites her lower lip. She’s almost nauseated now but she wants to hear what her father has to say. “I thought he proposed to you?”

 

“I--what?” Niles raises his brow at her. “What gave you that idea? No. I asked him.”

 

“But what about mom?”

 

There’s a beat or two of silence. Niles closes his mouth and sets his jaw and just thinks for a moment. Nina bites her tongue anxiously. Finally, after a few moments, Niles says “What… about your mother?”

 

“Well… what about all her stuff? What about the family pictures and her favorite throw pillows and loving her forever?” Nina’s voice gets soft there towards the end, and she can hear Niles breathe out a sigh. It’s long and slow and shaky.

 

"What do you want me to say, Nina? Of course, I still love your mother. What gave you the idea that Odin is here to replace her? You haven't had a problem with him before now."

 

Well, no. She loves Odin, really. He’s fun to hang out with. He talks to her about writing and takes an interest in manga and anime and even fandom stuff. He’s always telling her she looks nice and once when she spent the night over at his house with Ophelia he baked cookies with them. He said they were his mother’s secret recipe. They had gummy worms in some of them, like pranks! But it was so much _fun_.

 

Odin makes Niles so happy. Nina can see it every day. They play with each other and send dumb text messages to a family group chat. And--well--they _have_ a family group chat. They’ve had it for half a year.

 

Maybe Odin’s more like her stepdad already than she even realized. He picks her up from school, takes her to movies, tells her not to stay up too late… but he’s not her mom. “I just don’t want to pack everything away and forget mom. It’s not--It’s not even _about_ Odin.”

 

Niles stands up from his seat. He walks around the table to hers, and then he leans against it while he folds his arms. "She's not going anywhere, Nina. We're only going to make _more_ family photos. We won’t lose the memories we already have.”

 

Nina’s eyes sting. “But… are you sure you’re ready to get married again? It’s only been a few years…”

 

Niles chuckles and at least that makes Nina feel a little better. If he can laugh he must not hate her. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't ready." Right, but up until a few minutes ago, Nina had just _assumed_ Odin was the one who proposed. Maybe he was pressuring Niles to get married before he was ready. But then again, that doesn’t sound like Odin at all. Odin seems more like he would put his feelings on the back burner to focus on making Niles happy. Or like he would call off his marriage because he knows Nina is upset and isn’t ready for her dad to be engaged again. “But I made a promise not to ask again until you were ready too… and he’s right. We’re in this together, kiddo. You and me against the world.”

 

Couldn't it be Nina and Niles and Odin and Ophelia against the world? Maybe this whole thing was stupid. Of course, they won't forget her mother. How can they? Odin would have never wanted that. He lost his mom young too, but he still talks about her every day. "Dad… I really messed up."

 

“Mhm. So what are we going to do about it, then?” Niles tucks Nina’s bangs behind her ear and she looks up at her father nervously.

 

"I need… Well, I need to call Ophelia for help."

 

…

 

“Ophelia?” Odin calls. Nina is watching him from behind a tree. She had to call Ophelia six times before she answered the phone, but when she did she was happy to hear Nina apologizing. It’s not fair to Odin. Nothing Nina did was fair to Odin. Or to her dad. Or to Ophelia. Or even to herself.

 

So Ophelia told her father that she wanted to meet him at this park after school, but she’s not actually here. She went back to Nina’s house to help Niles with dinner. Nina’s here. Nina’s supposed to meet him, to apologize, and to get him to come over for dinner again. Like a family.

 

She’s finding herself nervous, but she calls back to him. “Odin!”

 

His head snaps in her direction and for a moment he looks startled… but then his concern melts into a half-hearted smile. “Nina the Nightingale. What are you doing out here?”

 

"Well," Nina says. She walks closer to Odin. It's cold… and she wishes she could be tucked up in his coat with him again. She's got her arms behind her back. Holding a small gift bag. "I asked Ophelia to trick you into coming here because I was afraid you wouldn't want to talk to me."

 

Odin’s expression melts into a frown. Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to her. Just as she’s about to express that concern he puts it right out of her mind. “I’ll always be here for you to talk to. So speak your mind! Tell the world what you need it to hear.”

 

Nina sets the bag on the ground by her feet. It's got some tissue in it to hide its contents. She was up all night working on that dumb thing. It stands up on its own on the sidewalk and Nina pops her knuckles nervously while she talks. "I was really scared that if you married Dad he would forget Mom ever existed. And I didn't want that, because I still miss her."

 

“There’s nothing in this world that could make him forget she existed,” Odin says. “She was a hero! A legend--meant to be remembered. Besides… with that hair and that smile, you look just like her.”

 

Nina _does_ smile a little wider when he says that. “Uhm… anyway, I took it out on you. And it wasn’t even your fault, so I’m really sorry. And to make it up to you I made you this present.”

 

Odin looks at the bag again, and then Nina bends down to pick it up. She hands it to him. Inside is the bullet journal he bought her. Slipped into the picture slot on the front is a photo of the four of them--Odin, Niles, Ophelia, and Nina--from the trip they took to the beach last summer. “Oh. This is the journal I bought you?” He asks.

 

She waits for him to flip open the pages. He does, and she watches him look. Inside is… everything. Pictures that Ophelia and Nina have taken of their parents cuddling when they fell asleep on the couch watching tv. Pictures of Odin and Nina. Pictures of Ophelia and Niles. Selfies that they've taken with silly snapchat pictures. Some pictures of the beach, pictures of last Christmas. A few photos of just Nina and Ophelia. Several pictures of just Odin with Niles. It only takes up the first quarter of the notebook, even with all her embellishments and cute tapes… so she clears her throat.

 

He’s got a smile brighter than the sun on his face, and she can’t help but smile back. “I kind of thought maybe we could make this a place to keep some of the new memories? If that’s okay. I uh, I know you guys called off the whole wedding thing, but… Dad really wants to marry you. He loves you a lot. And I really do too, I guess. So please? Will you be my cool stepdad?”

 

Odin wraps his arms around her tight. So tight it almost hurts, but it’s so warm she wouldn’t complain. “I love you too, Gale,” He says. He kisses the top of her head and she waves him off with a giggle.

 

“Okay! Don’t be so gross! We’re in public you know.”

 

But she sighs slow and content and lays her head on his shoulder. “So… that means you’re going to say yes, right?”

 

“What? Oh.” Odin flashes her a smile. “Yes, I think it does.” He lets her out of that hug but he keeps one arm wrapped around her shoulders so they can walk back towards his car. “Come on! It’s an icy wasteland out here! My nose has been severely nipped! Let’s get you home.”

 

“You’re going to stay for dinner right?” Nina asks. “Ophelia is there--she’s making something with Dad.”

 

“Now that I’ve got you back? Nothing could keep me away.”

 

“What about strawberries?”

 

“Not even strawberries.”

 

“You’ll blow up like a balloon, you know.”

 

“Ha! It takes more than mere berries to fell Odin Dark! Allergies are merely challenges, sweet Nightingale.”

 

Well, his mom was a nurse, so Nina isn't totally sure she would agree with that statement. “So we can have chocolate covered strawberries at the wedding?”

 

“Er--well, I think I actually prefer truffles, when seeking chocolate…” Odin says. He looks so happy. Radiant really, and it’s such a relief. Ignoring him for this long was awful. She’s never going to do that again. Ophelia was right. Odin’s way too good for this world. Someone has to protect him; it may as well be Nina.

 


End file.
